Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

Originally Posted by James Lacey

An interesting thing about Hunter is that since his dad left office, he has re-emerged on social media, using it to blast his critics with a combination of wit, sarcasm, brutal honesty, and self-deprecating humor. It's worth checking out, and it's funny how easily he discredits and dismantles past controversies and scandals surrounding the Biden family. He also uses his platform to talk candidly about addiction and recovery, and advocates for others who have an addiction.

It's so true what you are saying regarding Trump's corruption. He has the most corrupt administration in American history by far, and yet there doesn't seem to be any accountability for it at all.

In what may be of additional interest to you in Texas, James, is a poll I saw reported on the news the other day that only about 30% or so of Texans are even aware of the corruption reported in connection to Paxton. And, that's apparently even in the face of all of the attack ads that Cornyn ran against him in the primary--which have since been expunged by the GOP--and the latest overall polling show a tie between Paxton & Talarico:    https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/30/texas-senate-poll-talarico-paxton-00981524

Note that Greg Abbott is substantially ahead in his race and he's about as bad as it gets. Trump, for his part, is going to hold a GOP convention in the state and that's obviously a ploy to prop up Paxton...

Oops, sorry for the prior double post.
But, since I'm here:

"The sons of Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick secured a major financial stake in a multi-billion dollar tungsten mining project in Kazakhstan."

 "The venture, backed by up to $1.6 billion in potential U.S. government financing, was negotiated by their fathers to secure "war metals" critical for defense manufacturing."

"Key details of the deal and the resulting investments include:The Negotiation: President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick negotiated the mining agreement with Kazakhstan's president in late 2025, pushing for U.S.-based Kaz Resources to develop the untapped tungsten reserves."

"The Investment: Within weeks of the negotiations, a firm partly owned by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump took a roughly 20% stake in the Kazakhstan mining project"

"Financial Ties: Simultaneously, Cantor Fitzgerald—the investment bank controlled by the Lutnick family—helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in new capital for the project's key investors, a move that typically yields millions in fees."

"The U.S. Backing: The project is seeking up to $1.6 billion in U.S. government-backed financing to get the mine off the ground, causing ethics watchdogs to raise concerns over perceived conflicts of interest.The Response: The White House and representatives for the Trump and Lutnick families have defended the arrangement, stating the government's backing is based entirely on national and economic security goals and that the sons serve strictly as passive investors." AI

And:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-lutnick-s-sons-stand-to-gain-big-profits-from-billion-dollar-mining-deal-report/ar-AA26Pinx

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

Like I said in a previous post:  "Corruption running amuck and right out in the open...and no one seems to care." And "If Obama or (Hunter) Biden made (a deal like this) and made 2 billion dollars while in office, mostly from crypto currency, and lost a war with Iran MAGA and their (GOP) minions would be screaming their lungs out about it."

"MAGA and their (GOP) minions"

You mean like the person in this picture?     https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/03/politics/america-250-july-4-national-mall-trump-analysis

Or, do you mean Don Jr & "Grab A Gun" wherein you order your gun online like amazon and it's delivered to your doorstep since it's a safe bet SCOTUS WILL allow it?

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-jrs-amazon-guns-could-make-millions-under-new-proposed-firearm-rule-2026-07-02/

The real key here is adding Washington DC and Puerto Rico as states thus enabling four additional Democratic senators.  Watch Richie go apeshit over that...

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

I put in the accurate words you forgot to put in for your statement above.  I should have added pack the Supreme court.  I'm sure you love that one as well.  

Leave it to Rich to alter my post and falsely state something it didn't, a distinct violation of astromart policy. But since he's a con, it's the usual mantra of "rules for thee but not for me."   

Oh, and Richie, the supreme court of corruption is already packed--with cons--which is why it is the way that it is. 

Not to mention that your lameass comparo between Biden acknowledging mistakenly keeping a few classified documents in a locked cabinet in a garage as somehow being comparable to the plethora of classified documents Trump kept in his bathroom and ballroom (and refused to return) as being remotely similar is, of course, ample evidence that you've drank more of the conservative kool aid by way of IV Push!  Oh, and that Hunter Biden laptop? SO WHAT!...

Originally Posted by James Brown

I totally understand your point James, the Trump corruption does appear to be of an unprecedented scale. 

Even so, Hunter was not charged with more serious crimes because of political interference.  The crimes he was charged with were certainly not "nothing burgers."  You and I would be doing years in the federal system if we had committed any of Hunter's well documented tax, weapons, or drug crimes.  He was also obviously was the beneficiary of large scale graft.  10% for the "big guy is at the very least problematic, and remains unexplained as of today and forever because of the pardons.  

Please note that I do not think any of the above mitigates the Trump family corruption one iota.  I do think, for what it is worth, that your phrasing above that seemingly semi-sorta absolves Hunter diminishes your real point.  Jim

No so fast, Jim. Didn't the judge on Hunter Biden's case agree to the stipulations on a plea deal arranged by prosecutors only to rescind it at the last moment and way before any pardons appeared on the horizon?

That said, Trump's doings can't be even considered to be in the same league as they're in an extragalactic universe all of their own:

 https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/trump-family-corruption-tracker

and

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-financial-disclosure-shows-corruption-145056986.htmlhttps://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-financial-disclosure-shows-corruption-145056986.html

PS: Update on whether Mitch McConnell is still alive:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM2S9U4_U4Q

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Well now you should run to Herb like the intellectual coward you are.  And no I didn't alter your posting and "falsely state something you didn't say".  You said that your communist Democrats should make DC a state, which the founders of the country and the framers of the US Constitution didn't want and so they put wording in to try and make sure that didn't happen.

Check with a certain bookkeeper here and he might even get it right and educate you for a change.

Aside from that, why don't you run to Herb whining like the wimp you are?  Won't bother me a bit.  It just would be another example of you showing how a punk operates.  You've shown that many times before.    

Perhaps I will since you won't learn from your past violations and you continue to repeat them rather than acknowledging that you were wrong all along. That's been your MO from day one and it matches that of majority of your fellow cons.

I think we've all lost count of the times you've been called out in this forum, including this thread, for hiding under your desk when confronted with the facts. And if you do respond, you merely revert to your usual and customary diversions that you're known for such as an obsession with Hunter Biden's laptop.  Now, in response to cons like you, here's Hunter Biden's substack that began today: 

 “They called it the laptop. I will call it that too, although the name is not accurate, the provenance was never established, and no court or forensic examiner ever certified the chain of custody that would have made it evidence rather than theater,” he said in an excerpt on X.

"He claimed that efforts to target him began before the device was recovered, and that “a scandal was constructed, and a laptop was produced to anchor it.”

"While he disputed the narrative surrounding the laptop, Hunter Biden acknowledged that it did contain evidence of his years-long struggle with addiction."

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5961433-hunter-biden-substack-essays-laptop/

Of course, you could always counter with your defense of the Trump family, especially Eric and Don Jr...
We're waiting...

Probably the half that voted for Trump:    

"A nation-wide poll conducted by the libertarian think tank Cato Institute found that only 53 percent of respondents could correctly identify the adoption of the Declaration of Independence as the historical event marked by July 4."

"Additionally, 58 percent of all those surveyed did not know the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution and 57 percent could not explain why the U.S. declared independence from Great Britain to form a government with limited powers."

"Additionally, 56 percent expressed concern that the U.S. could cease to be a free nation in the next 50 years. People in this group cited worries about corruption, concentrations and abuse of power and an ignorance of the nation’s founding principles."

https://thehill.com/polls/5953222-july-4th-ignorance-among-americans/

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

"The FIRST Freedom Fuel Network gas station has LANDED in Philadelphia, lowering the price at the pump to $3.47 for our 47th President,” the White House wrote on the social platform X on Tuesday".

"Twenty of the stations are located in Pennsylvania, while five are in New Jersey, according to the Freedom Fuel network’s website. A White House official told The Hill the Freedom Fuel Network is a private company and did not receive subsidies from the administration."

"The average price of a gallon of regular gas in those two states is roughly $3.98 and $3.86, respectively, as of Wednesday, according to AAA. The national average price of fuel is $3.79 per gallon as of Wednesday, AAA reported."

It seems the comments section in the article nails it:

"A major contradiction here, or just outright lies:
"The White House said the Freedom Fuel gas stations are a private company and did not receive government subsidies. Then how are they able to sell gasoline so much cheaper when profit margins for retailers is extremely marginal?"
"Secondly, if the stations are privately owned why is the White House touting that it has ''launched'' them and ''Trump is leading the charge to lower prices.'' ?
"SOCIALISM!!!"

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5958968-white-house-launches-freedom-fuel-gas-stations/

"The bargain price wasn’t too good to be true, but it was too good to last. Immediately after Brown drove away, the station’s digital sign changed to $3.57. The station attendant said the original price had just been a promotional offer."

"Even after the price hike, though, the fuel on offer was still unusually cheap. Regular unleaded averaged $3.83 a gallon in the county on Wednesday, according to AAA."

"Freedom Fuel has raised eyebrows among experts because of its seemingly unsustainable prices."

https://www.investopedia.com/trump-linked-freedom-fuel-gas-was-too-good-to-last-12014494

A "Freedom Fuel" update:

"Freedom Fuel gas prices are rising only days after debut, GasBuddy data indicates"
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5962848-freedom-fuel-gas-prices-are-rising-only-days-after-debut-gasbuddy-data-indicates/

PLUS, A Faux News update on the Iran "negotiators":
   
"Fox News’s Kilmeade says Kushner, Witkoff should not lead Iran talks".  "I also don’t think that Witkoff and Kushner should be the ones doing this." "They’re business guys,” Kilmeade said on Fox News’s “The Five.”

“They have not been effective in Ukraine, not been effective in Gaza, they have not been effective in this,” he continued." 


https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5962806-kilmeade-kushner-witkoff-iran-talks/

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